Stephanie Bannister

A Qualitative Study: the Experiences of Non-traditional Students Utilizing Student Support Services Stephanie Bannister

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the impact of student support services on the engagement and satisfaction of undergraduate non-traditional students at Kansas State University. For the purposes of this study, student support services were defined as non-academic departments or offices providing support services to students. Following the completion of in-depth interviews with non-traditional students, and student support staff the researcher identified the emergence of six themes related to the engagement and satisfaction of non-traditional students: (1) commitment - perceptions of efforts to engage and satisfy students through university resources, (2) expectations - demonstration of investment and validation of their presence on campus by communicating clear expectations, (3) support - provision of support services that promote student success (4) involvement - perceptions of the relationship between student and support staff and academic and social integration, (5) learning - efforts to enhance the learning experiences of non-traditional students, (6) feedback ? gathering of suggestions for improvement to the non-traditional student experience.